(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners in Vancouver held a cultivation experience sharing conference on July 17, 2016. Twenty-four practitioners presented papers, which conference attendees found to be both inspiring and encouraging.
Vancouver Fa conference venue
Improving Character Amidst Work on Dafa Projects
Ms. Chen is a media correspondent. She shared how she abandoned various attachments while covering Shen Yun performances. She gave several examples of her attachment to fear and how she was able to eliminate it. She was afraid that she could not find suitable audience members to interview after the performances, or that the interviewees might not be able to speak about specific details. She was also concerned about working with fellow practitioners whom she disliked and with whom she had to work long hours. By digging deeper inside her attachment to fear, she found that she had a bunch of other attachments, including selfishness, resentment, jealousy and pursuit of reputation in Dafa.
After she realized where she fell short, Ms. Chen looked more at fellow practitioners’ strengths and became more aware of her own shortcomings. She is able to distinguish which issues are external interference and which are opportunities that Master has arranged for her to improve her character.
Ms. He is also a reporter for a media company run by Dafa practitioners. She talked about how she overcame difficulties and hardships using the Fa as guidance during the initial stages of producing media programs. She has persevered in this way since 2002. Since that time, a certain bilingual program has increased from its initial 5 minutes of broadcast time, to 30 minutes, and then to 3 hours. Recalling the cultivation path she has walked, Ms. He said, “I'm full of gratitude to Master Li (founder of Falun Dafa) for his compassionate protection and care all the way.”
Ms. Liu is French horn player in the Vancouver Divine Land Marching Band. She shared how she learned to look within when encountering conflicts in the band. Abiding by Master’s requirement that Dafa disciples should play a major role in Fa-rectification, Ms. Liu strives to improve her performance skills, and successfully participated in various parades. She also experiences new breakthroughs in her cultivation as a result of her involvement in the Band.
The Key Is Eliminating Attachments and Cultivating Well
A young practitioner gave a sincere sharing about how he got rid of his attachment to lust, a problem that had plagued him for quite a long period. He said that lust caused him to lack confidence, and to be fearful and uncommunicative. A physical manifestation of the problem was a boil on his nose that often seeped.
Through solidly studying the Fa, he was determined to get rid of this attachment. With sincere cultivation and subsequent body purification arranged by Master, he was able to overcome the attachment. “I feel I’m a completely new man, and very relieved,” he said.
Ms. Wang, in her 60s, shared the understandings she gained after she fell twice. She said that each time she fell, she quickly looked within to find her shortcomings, and her character was elevated. She kept reminding herself that she is a cultivator. When she was seriously injured after one fall, she maintained her righteous thoughts, and went on with what she was supposed to do. She soon recovered from her injury, and her non-practitioner family members were deeply impressed by the tremendous effect of Dafa.
Another practitioner, Ms. Li had been troubled by leg pain for quite some time. She looked within to find any problems in her cultivation. She discovered an attachment to doing things, and she also realized that she did not balance her relationship with her non-practitioner family members. Furthermore, she often habitually looked at any sickness karma elimination from her perspective as a medical professional. Finally, she found that she was not firm in her belief in Master and the Fa.
The Urgency of Saving More People
Several practitioners shared their cultivation experiences of clarifying the facts to Chinese tourists at tourist sites, and talking to people in China via phone calls.
Ms. Chen talked about how she treats Chinese people with compassion, especially Chinese tourists, while clarifying the facts at a park. She has found that the environment has improved and that tourists have become more and more receptive to the information she provides. Her interaction with tourists has become more natural and easy, and the effect of her truth clarification is becoming better and better.
Young Practitioners’ Growth in Dafa
Xiao Li began practicing Falun Dafa with her parents in 1995 in China when she was 5 years old. After the persecution began in 1999, when she and her parents went to Beijing to appeal for justice for Falun Dafa, she experienced a lot of hardships that would be difficult for children of her age to endure. Her teachers made life hard for her, she was shunned by her classmates, and plainclothes police officers followed her.
Now that Xiao Li lives abroad, she works and cultivates in a project that Dafa practitioners run. She never forgets her mission of helping people learn the facts about Falun Dafa. Sometimes when she thinks of slacking off a bit, her mother reminds her to be diligent.
Another young practitioner, Allen shared how Dafa gave him wisdom. As a result, his school studies have never been difficult for him, and he has now earned his PhD. He is also a pilot and has many of his own students. Allen said, “Everything I have originates from Dafa. I’ve walked the path that Master laid out for me.”
Coordinators Are Also Cultivators
Coordinators for two cities and for several projects also spoke at the Fa conference. They talked about how they cultivate themselves with the guidance of the Fa while encountering various problems in the process of coordinating projects. Sometimes, if fellow practitioners do not cooperate well with each other, and there are different opinions among practitioners, or if few practitioners are open to sharing their understanding and insights, they look within, and openly and candidly share with practitioners. The coordinators have found that when they maintain a state of being humble and tolerant, and have an attitude of serving their fellow practitioners, things turn for the better.
